1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in environmentally sealed packaging for vegetables and more particularly, to an improved sealed plastic container and a method of sealing the same.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art:
One of the principal problems encountered in the storage and transport of produce, such as lettuce, is the fact that the lettuce or other produce will rapidly deteriorate if maintained in an oxygen-existing environment, even though it may be refrigerated. It would therefore be desirable to seal the lettuce or other produce in plastic containers which can be sealed to render them sealed with respect to the external atmosphere. In this way, the atmosphere inside of the plastic container or bag can be altered so as to provide a relatively oxygen-free atmosphere.
One of the principal problems encountered in the storage and transport of many forms of produce, such as lettuce, is the inadvertent introduction of foreign matter in the produce. The use of metal in the produce is one of the most common and also one of the most serious potential hazards which can arise. Very often, in order to open plastic bags or like containers, the workers who handle the produce in processing locations will utilize knives and even razor blades for purposes of cutting open the plastic bag or other container. Unfortunately, on occasions, the blade of the knife or a piece of the razor blade may snap from the main body of the knife or blade and thus become deposited on a conveyor belt along with heads of lettuce. Very often, the personnel fail to discover the existence of that piece of metal. Very frequently, the processing plant personnel will fail to recognize or discover the piece of metal mixed with the vegetables such as the lettuce. Moreover, these pieces of metal can become literally entrapped in the lettuce. If they are not discovered during cleaning of the lettuce, they can end up in an individual's food. Clearly, when ingested the metal can cause serious injury and damage to an individual thereby resulting in exposure of liability, not only to the processor but to all involved in the chain of handling that produce.
In order to reduce the incidence of metal contamination, many processing facilities have literally resorted to the use of metal detectors for attempting to locate foreign metal bodies which may be moved along with or otherwise become entrapped in the produce. However, in view of the fact that many of the pieces of equipment used in processing of the produce are constructed of metal, the metal detectors are often times of limited value.
Many processing facilities impose strict rules on the use of metal containing objects at or near the processing lines which contain the produce or other food products. Further, in the duties of their occupation, the workers who are responsible for processing of the food product, will disregard the imposed rules and resort to the use of knives, razor blades or the like in order to open packages.
Some packages of food items have made available small bags where the food product is contained in the bag and the upper lips are rolled over upon one another to seal the bag. Moreover, these bags are provided with a bendable wire capable of being folded over the rolled portions of the bag. Certain coffee products are found this type of bag. However, in this case, the metal wire is incorporated into the bag and literally becomes a part of the bag.